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 New Solutions to Old Problems

by Leigh Howard | 14-Dec-2009 | Comments (6) Tags: Apology, Republic, Aboriginal Sovereignty  82 ratings. Please log in to rate and comment

New Solutions to Old Problems

By Leigh Howard
School of Law
LaTrobe University

On 13 February 2008 the world watched and wept as Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made his apology to the Stolen Generations of Indigenous Australia. In doing so, the Prime Minister went beyond his promise to apologise and delivered a poignant reflection on the current tragedy that is contemporary Indigenous Australia.

What an apology it was. To me, it felt like Australia finally confronted its history of genocide and complete decimation of the Aboriginal nations of Australia. With this confrontation came acknowledgement, genuine empathy and a promise to act. This promise was a promise to ‘close the gap’ between White Australia and the poorest, shortest living peoples of any industrialised western country. In doing so, the Prime Minister declared that Australia is to embrace a future of new solutions to old problems. These solutions shall be based on “mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility.”

Since that morning, no new solution has been put forward. Day by day, the Prime Minister’s apology is dwindling into a farce. 

Noel Pearson, Aboriginal activist and lawyer, believes that indigenous disadvantage continues to exist as a natural consequence of dispossession and the historical denial of rights. Pearson correctly points out that years of oppression and annihilation has resulted in a systemic belief of isolation and worthlessness throughout Indigenous Australia. Could you imagine what is running through a young indigenous child’s mind when they learn of what was inflicted on his or her people? Or how they would feel about themselves when they compare themselves to their coastal counterparts? More often than not, to be Aboriginal is to be a despondent and stateless person. It is a rite of passage.

Whole scale social inclusion is the only way we can heal and end the vicious cycle of dysfunction. Pearson and many others argue that we must make a start by empowering the indigenous community within our political machinery. Doing so will allow consultation with the indigenous community that is so desperately needed. It will reduce the power imbalance that thwarts even the best of intentions. It will send a powerful and symbolic message to the indigenous community - that the rest of Australia recognises their fundamental role in our nation and believes that indigenous people deserve much more.

If Australia is to eventually move towards a republic, we would have a perfect opportunity to make this to happen. Toppling the Queen and replacing her with an Aboriginal head of state would allow Australia to finally acknowledge Indigenous Australia’s claim to, and place in, our nation.

In this day and age, it is ridiculous that we pay homage to our colonial past. The fact that our de facto head of state will always be an Englishman with no connection to our country is offensive to every Australian, whether indigenous or non-indigenous. How much has England contributed to creating contemporary Australia? Compare that to how much Indigenous Australia means to our land. It almost goes without saying that there is no need to symbolically recognise England’s sovereignty to this land.  We are a nation once created by the Commonwealth, but for generations we have had no meaningful ties to Britain. Our ties lay elsewhere, and no less so than with Indigenous Australia.

Symbolically recognising Aboriginal sovereignty through appointing an indigenous person to assent to acts of Parliament is the perfect way to recognise how two peoples gathered on this land to create the Australian Nation. It would give effect to the idea that as first peoples of this land, Indigenous Australia holds traditional sovereignty to Australia. It would send the message that indigenous and non-indigenous are to move forward together as one people. It would give a voice to Aboriginal people in Parliament that is so desperately needed, and would generate functional spillover that will see more indigenous involvement in government. And finally – it would make an indelible dent in the belief worthlessness and isolation that plagues Indigenous Australia.

I often wonder what tourists think when they visit the Tent Embassy on the lawn of Old Parliament House. A common conclusion one would draw is that Australia’s recognition of the traditional ownership of this land is presently is embodied in a temporary piece of outdoor furniture. Not only is that abhorrent, it is an agonising reflection on the value we place on Indigenous Australia’s contribution to our nation. We can do better, and substituting our monarchy for a symbolic Aboriginal Head of State is a perfect opportunity to give effect to our desire for reconciliation.

Undeniably, great change would come to indigenous relations in Australia. To borrow from the famous song - creating an Aboriginal Head of State is one little thing from which big things will grow. Big things - such as civic engagement, interaction with the real economy, and improvement in the living standards of Indigenous Australia - are all possible once we empower Indigenous Australia. Luckily, the Queen is perfectly poised to step aside in order to do so – something she would surely agree to if she knew of the tangible benefits.

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